Pump



July 13, 1937. s. A` MULUNS 2,086,816

PUMP

Original Filed Oct. 5, 1953 f f INVENTOR wlTNEssEls E amuel A Mullz'na,

BY mm- 1 @M 2" 1 Z v v ATTORNEYS CFI Patente-d July 13, 1937 Mani*ori-"ics PUMP Samuel A. Mullins, Beaumont, Tex.

Application October 3, 1933, Serial No. 692,009V Renewed December 24,1936 10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in pumps, and its objects are asfollows:

First, to provide a deep well pump in which the standing tube isprovided with a helical ring first for the purpose of making a seal withthe internal wall of the traveling tube, second for the purpose ofaiding in working out sand and other `foreign matter which may collectbetween the two tubes. Y

Second, to so arrange the foregoing helical ring and its ends that itwill partake of a limited creeping motion in the helical groove of thestanding tube for the purpose of preventing excessive binding betweenthe ring and traveling tube on the up and down strokes.

Third, to provide the foregoing helical ring with end heads, whichactually comprise a few substantially circular windings, for the purposeof permitting the limited creeping motion of the helical ring and theprevention of excessive friction between said ring and the wall of thetraveling tube.

Fourth, to provide a deep well pump with a top latch, thatis to" say, anarrangement for latching the standing tube to the traveling tube at thetopmost point between the two tubes, thereby making it possible to pullthe standing tube even though the standing valve is sanded.

Fifth, to provide automatic compensating means to compensate for thenatural tendency of the helical ring to expand due to the frictionmoment during reciprocation of the traveling tube, thereby guardingagainst binding between said ring and the wall of the traveling tube.

Sixth, to provide a helical ring for the purpose described, having itsconvolutions arranged on a very steep pitch, partly for the purpose ofproviding ample room between the ccnvolutions for the reception andworking outl of foreign solid matter and partly for the purpose ofproducing a tortuousliquid passage which by virtue of its length insuresa liquid seal.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a partially sectional and elevational View of the lower partof a well, particularly illustrating the relationship of the improvedpump. y

Figure 2 is an enlarged View of the improved pump, particularlyillustrating the helical ring and its compensating heads.

Figure 3 is a detail section taken on the line '3-3 of Figure 2.

The improvement disclosed herein is primarily (Cl. 10S-179) intended foruse in connection with deep well pumps, although it is not confined tosuch use. It is the common practice in many oil fields to use thefamiliar composition cups in the pumping assemblage at the bottom of thewell. It is gen- 5 erally always the case that the oil will be ladenwith sand and other solid foreign matter. This when coming into contactwith the composition cups soon scores and cuts them up to such an extentthat they lower in efficiency very rapidly. V

There are in use devices of various sorts to cntrap the sand and soguard the cups from premature destruction, but even these remedies arenot always satisfactory. The instant invention is intendedto do awaywith a sand trap as such, 154A to replace composition cups, to overcometheiri limitations, to produce an effective liquid seal and at the sametime to work out foreign solid matter which inevitably will find its waybetween the standing and traveling tubes.

Reference is ma-de to the drawing` In Figure 1 the well casing isdesignated I, the well tubing 2, the sucker rod 3, the traveling valve'l and the standing valve 5. It is between the cages 6 and 'l of the twovalves that the improved pump is 2.5A

connected in the pumping assemblage.

This pump comprises what is known as a traveling tube 8. This is theouter one of a pair of telescoped tubes which have a narrow workingspace S between them (Fig. 2), the inner and 30 name is this: Somewherenear the bottom of the 40 well tubing 2 there is a sealing collar Il.This has a bevelled seat i2. The cage 1 has a correspondingly taperedseal ring I3 integrally aixed to it, for example by bracing.l This sealring is made of relatively soft metal, and its engage- 45 ment with theseat l2 is maintained by the heavy `liquid column always present withinthe well tubing 2. The seal ring I3 is in the nature of a base fromwln'ch the standing tube I0 extends in iixed, upstan-ding relationship.

A helical groove it traverses the outside of the standing tube li) for adistance 'of from onefourth to one-third of its length beginning nearthe top. This groove communicates with an annular groove I5 at its topand a corresponding 55 An inward bevel at the top 35 annular groove I6at its bottom. A helical ring Means to compensate for the limitedelongated ycreeping motion of which the ring Il partakes yin operationas will be brought out below, com# prises end heads I8, I9 of a lesserdepth than the annular grooves l5 and E5 and having an outside diametersubstantially the same as that of the standing tube l5. These arepreferably continuations at the ends of the ring Il and Ycomprise, oneor more .complete turns to loosely occupy the annular grooves l5, l5.These grooves are deeper than the heads I8 and I9 .are thick in theaxial direction of the pump, thereby providing ample room for a limitedrectilinear motion of the heads. v. v

Release openings VZtl in the outer wall of the standing tube li)communicate with the groove U5 at its bottom (Figi. 3). These openingsare V for the purpose of enabling the escape of sand or other foreignsolid matter that may enter the groove I4 behind the ring Il. Y

The prevailing practice, for the purpose of withdrawing the standingvalve and tube, is to n latch the traveling tube tothe standing tube soas to make a temporary connection.V When the sucker rod 3 is then pulledupon at the top, the standing valve and all of its related parts comewith it. It is also the prevailing practice to lo-V cate the latcharrangement between the traveling and standing tubes at the bottom nearthe standing valve.

This has the disadvantage of often preventing the making of a connectionby virtue of the standing valve having become sanded to a point abovewhere the latch connection is to be made. One of the purposes of thepresent invention is to locate Ythe latching arrangement at the topmostpoint between the tubes and IEB so as to be so far away from thestanding valve that the likelihood of prevention of making a connectiondueto sanding is not apt to occur.

A pin 2i is affixed crosswise of the traveling tube 8 near its top. Theupper extremity of the standing valve I is provided with a doublebaycnet slot 22. Upon letting the travelingV tube down far enough toenter Ythe pin 2l into the groove 22 and then giving it a turn in theproper direction there will be an instant and easy latch connectionlocking the two tubes together for the purpose of withdrawal of thestanding valve and tube.

The operation isV readily understood. Y Bear in Y mind that the standingtube It! is the stationary member, 'and the traveling tube S the movablemember. On a down stroke of the tube 3, liquid previously admitted tothe tube iii escapes into therwell tubing 2 by an opening ofthe valveV4. On the. up stroke of the tube 8 the opening of `the standing valve 5admits a new charge of liquid into theV pump. Y

By virtue of the fact that the helical ring Il is composed of springymaterialit follows that its normal tendency is to expand against` theinner Vwall of the traveling tube 8. 'I'his establishes a frictionmoment between the ring and the travel,-V

pensating means I8, I9. Consider the traveling tube 8 on its down strokein the direction of arrow a (Fig. 2). r he friction between the ring andthe traveling tube moves the ring assemblage downwardly so that thelower side of the head I3 is soon engaged at b With the bottom of thegroove I5 with an appreciable frictional contact.

vThis contact produces a temporary anchorage for the head I8. The restof the ring II is elongated, and the elongation is consumed or taken upby the tendency of the now freed head I9 to wind. It will beinoticedthat both the top and bottom of the head i9 are released from the topand bottom of the groove I6 thereby enabling a free winding up of thesurplus, so to speak, of the ring I1.

A similar action takes place on the up stroke of the traveling tube 8.This time Vthe tendency of the ring il is to move up in its groove I4.The

top part of the bottom head I9 will be brought into frictionalengagement with the top part of the groove I6. The head I8 will be freedin the groove I 5, taking a substantially central position. The upwardcrowding orrelongation of the ring ll is consumed by a slight winding upof the turns of the head I8.

Thus it will be seen that the heads I8, I9 wind and unwind as becomesnecessary to take care of the elongation of the ring I1 during thereciprocation of the traveling tube 8. Therefore they comprise automaticcompensators which prevent excessive friction between the ring and thetraveling tube. Y Y

Inasmuchas the helical ring extends somewhere between one-fourth toone-third the length of the standing tube It it follows that the helicalliquid passage dened by the ring is of a substantial length. There isnothing to obstruct the 4freeV iiow of liquid through this passage, itbeing noted that the heads I8, I9 are of Vlesser diameter than the ringIl because of their being substantially the same in diameter as thestanding tube to, but by virtue of its length and its continuous closingoff by the ring ll in the axial direction there is maintained what isknown as a liquid seal. The advantage of having the passage open is thatany foreign matter entrapped Vin it will eventually beV worked out atthe bottom by the` continuous declination of the helical ring. Anyforeign matter working in behind the ring will be released at theopenings 2U. Y

The foregoing description of the ring I1 and its functions obtainsVwhether the helix II is right handed as shown, or left handed. It iscontemplated that in some instances it will be desirable to use adoublearrangement of helical rings, that is'to say two helixesV (ormore) entirely separate from each other and in tandem. In the event ofthis modification it would be a matter of choice whether or not to havethe helical rings all right handed, or all left handed or a combinationof the two.

In any case the ring Il would function to seal and gradually ejectforeign matter fromV the V working space 9 whether this is between therelatively stationary and movable members of a pump or some othercontrivance which requires liquid sealing and the ejection of foreignmatter as brought out.

I claim:-

1. The combination of a movable member and a stationary membertelescoped therein there being a Working space between said members,said stationary member having a helical groove, a resilient ring in thehelical groove bridging the working space into frictional contact withthe adjacent wall of the movable member, and means at the terminals ofsaid ring capable of bodily Winding and unwinding to continuously absorbelongations of the ring caused by said wall contact duringreciprocations of the movable member.

2. The combination of a movable member and a stationary membertelescoped therein there being a working space between said members,said stationary member having a helical groove, a resilient ring looselymounted in said groove and bridging the working space into contact withthe adjacent Wall of the movable member, and means at the terminals ofthe ring capable of limited turning and endwise movement with respect tothe stationary member for the absorption of the elongation of the ringcaused by its Wall contact during reciprocation of the movable A member.

3. The combination of a movable member and a stationary member intelescoped relationship, said members having a working spacetherebetween, the stationary member having a helical groove terminatingat its ends in annular grooves, a ring continuously loose in the helicalgroove during the reciprocation of the movable member and bridging theworking space to make frictional contact with the adjacent wall of themovable member, and heads of lesser diameter than the ring at theterminals of the ring loosely occupying the annular grooves, saidgrooves being of materially greater axial depth than the thickness ofsaid heads.

4. In a pump, a traveling tube and a standing tube telescoped thereinthere being a working space between said tubes, said standing tubehaving a helical groove terminating at its ends in annular grooves, aresilient ring in the helical groove bridging the working space intocontact with the traveling tube, and heads of lesser diameter than thering at the terminalsof the ring, said heads turnably occupying theannular grooves and consisting of at least one convolution incontinuation of said ring.

5. In a pump, a traveling tube and a standing tube telescoped thereinthere being a working space between said tubes, said standing tubehaving a helical groove terminating at its ends in annular grooves, aresilient ring in the helical groove bridging the working space intocontact with the traveling tube, and heads of lesser diameter than thering at the terminals of the ring, said heads turnably and axiallyslidably occupying the annular grooves and consisting of at least oneconvolution in continuation of said ring.

6. In a pump, a traveling tube and a standing tube telescoped thereinthere being a working space between said tubes, said standing tubehaving a helical groove having its ends terminating in annular grooves,a resilient ring in the helical groove bridging the working space intocontact with the traveling tube, and heads of lesser diameter than thering at 'the terminals of the ring comprising contacting convolutions incontinuation of the ring being loosely mounted in the annular groovesand of a materially lesser depth than said grooves.

7. In a pump, a traveling tube and a standing tube telescoped thereinthere being a Working space between said tubes, said standing tubehaving a helical groove terminating at its ends in annular grooves andhaving at least one release opening in co-mmunication with the outersurface of the standing tube, a ring loosely mounted in the helicalgroove, bridging the Working sp-ace into contact with the traveling tubeand covering an end of the release opening, and at least one convolutionof lesser diameter than the ring at each terminal of the ring looselyoccupying the annular grooves.

8. In a pump, a traveling tube and a standing tube telescoped therein,said standing tube having a helical groove having each end terminatingin an annular groove, a ring loosely mounted in the helical groove andsubject to continuous axial creeping in alternately opposite directionsby virtue of frictional contact with the wall of the traveling tubeduring reciprocation, and heads at the terminals of the ring mounted inthe annular grooves, said heads being of lesser diameter than the ringand of materially lesser depth than the grooves.

9. In a pump, a traveling tube and a standing tube telescoped therein,said standing tube having a helical groove of steep pitch having eachend terminating in an annular groove, a ring loosely mounted in thehelical groove and subject to creeping by virtue of frictional contactwith the Wall of the traveling tube, and heads at the terminals of thering slidably mounted in the annular grooves, said heads being of lesserdiameter than the ring and of materially lesser depth than the grooves.

10. A pump comprising a stationary member and reciprocable member intelescoped and spaced relationship, the stationary member hav- .ing ahelical groove on its outer surface struck on a steep pitch to leaverelatively wide Surface expanses between the convolutions of the grooveand the ends of the helical groove being enlarged, standing andtraveling valves so combined with the respective members as to take inand let out liquid during the reciprocation of the reciprocable member,a helical ring carried by the groove, contacting the reciprocable memberto mark said surface expanses'o into a tortuous liquid passage andliquid seal, said ring being loose in the groove and capable ofcontinuous creeping in the groove during reciprocation, and means at theends of the ring going into the enlargements and limiting the creepingon the respective strokes of the reciprocation.

SAMUEL A. MULLINS.

